His Father
by Serena Kenobi
Summary: When Batman rescues an abandoned baby, he and Diana decided to take care of him. But what will happen when they find out that the baby's father is none other than Batman's archenemy? AU.
1. Prologue

**His Father**

**By Serena Kenobi**

**Author's note: My first JLU fic. Hope you like!! Reviews are appreciated. Flames will be ignored.**

**Disclaimer: Me no own any DC characters. You no sue me. (Hides from lawyers)**

* * *

**Prologue  
**

The Knight was prowling. He crouched high atop a tower in his beloved city of Gotham, just waiting. Waiting for someone to be in trouble, waiting for his moment to strike. He was the epitome of stealth, the very essence of darkness. He was the Dark Knight of Gotham. He was Batman.

He protected Gotham and its inhabitants, watched over them. But very few actually knew the Dark Knight, and even fewer really _knew_him. Only a small number of people knew the man Bruce Wayne and Batman all in one. Even most of the Justice League didn't really know him. The founding members, Martian Manhunter, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Wonder Woman were the special people who knew the man behind the mask.

And Diana was the only woman to have ever fully captured Batman's seemingly unreachable heart.

Batman's heart tugged at the thought of the Amazonian princess. For all the time he had known her, he had admired her bravery, strength, and perseverance, but it wasn't until a few months ago when he realized how much he was in love with her. Imagine! Batman, truly in love with someone. He had tried to fool himself, tried to stay away from her, tried to hide his emotions, but finally, she had broken him. And he loved her for it.

Breaking away from his thoughts, he looked down at the Iceberg lounge and noticed a dark limo pulling up to the front. Out from the Lounge walked a well-dressed young man escorting a beautiful blonde on his arm. He led her into the limo and slammed the door after him. The limo pulled away and screamed out into the streets.

It was he. Jonas Estarci, the young crime lord from New York City. Apparently, he had good connections with the mob and had arranged a number of operations with them. It was rumored that he was now leading some sections of the mob.

Batman took off into the night to follow the limo. He soared through the air, hanging onto his grappling line, but he had only made it a few blocks when he heard a noise from below. He swooped down and crept to the side of an apartment building. Listening carefully, he discerned a small noise. He then leaped down into the dark alley and made his way to a dumpster, then reached out and pushed the lid open.

Inside lay a crying baby.

Batman's eyes widened. As he looked, he noticed the baby had no identification or anything to suggest to whom he belonged. Batman picked up the baby – it was a boy – and sighed. "What am I going to do with a baby?" He could take it to an orphanage, but who knew how the baby would be treated? Bring it – him – into foster care? Have somebody adopt him?

"Batman?"

Batman nearly cursed aloud as a familiar voice rang out in his ear. "What?" He asked in his low, gruff voice.

Diana wasn't fazed. "J'onn wants us back on the Watchtower ASAP. Something about a new alien invasion…" She trailed off. "Is that a… baby?"

"Yes."

"Hang on, I'm almost at your position."

As if on cue, Wonder Woman soared down to the alley, and Batman glanced at her, then back to the baby, which had fallen asleep in his arms. Diana let out a gasp.

"Oh, he's so beautiful. It is a he, isn't he?"

Batman nodded. "I found him in the dumpster. He has no identification. I'm guessing early pregnancy – the mother took off."

"Are you going to give him up for adoption or to an orphanage?" She asked.

"I'm not sure."

Diana smiled down at the baby. "Hello, little one," she crooned, smoothing a hand over the baby's fuzzy head. "You are a handsome one, aren't you?"

Batman's heart began to beat faster as he watched her talk softly to the baby. "What do you suggest we do with him?" He finally questioned.

Diana's blue eyes looked into his, and they were watery. "I want to keep him, but with what we do…"

Batman looked down at the baby, an idea forming in his mind. "I already adopted Dick and Tim," he murmured, more to himself. "But they're grown up now."

"You're not actually… do you mean to say…" Diana stammered.

"Would you consider taking care of him, Diana?"

Diana looked down. "I'd have to ask for time away, but I'm sure J'onn could manage. I'd love to." She took the baby from him and kissed his forehead.

"Diana. This is a big commitment. You don't have to decide just yet."

Diana smiled. "I know. But I think I already have."

* * *

"He's a fine, healthy baby boy," J'onn's low voice said as he stood over a small crib. "I could always run a DNA test on the baby, just to see who his real parents are, if you want to get in touch with them." 

Diana and Bruce exchanged glances.

"I don't see why not," Diana said. "Since they don't want the baby, it's not like they would take him back. Bruce?"

"It's up to you," was the short reply.

J'onn nodded. "Very well. Give me a few seconds." He tapped on the screen in front of him. After around thirty seconds, two names popped up on the blank screen.

"Oh my," J'onn said, stunned.

Diana and Bruce looked over his shoulder, and Bruce's mouth tightened, but his dark eyes were positively shocked.

"Mother: Harleen Quinzel. Father: Jack James." Two pictures accompanied the names, one of a woman with blonde hair, the other of a man with black hair and a tight smile.

Bruce's fists clenched. "So," he began, his voice filled with rage and dark emotion, "we are in possession of the unwanted son of Harley Quinn… and the Joker himself."

* * *

**That was the first chapter... prologue anyway. Let me know what you think! I'm going to be jumping ahead in the future soon. **

**- Serena Kenobi**

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	2. In the Future

**His Father**

**By Serena Kenobi**

**Author's note: I didn't like the first chapter and decided to revise. Hope you like it. Thanks for the constructive criticism!**

**Disclaimer: Do I disclaim? (sees lawyers) I DISCLAIM!**

* * *

**2026**

**LAKER OFFICE BUILDING**

* * *

Alexander Wayne hated parties. He hated the two-faced aristocrats, the middle-aged women trying to flaunt their not-so-attractive bodies, the wealthy corporation owners laughing at some joke that wasn't funny in the least. He hated dressing up, disguising himself to be something he wasn't. "I don't know how you do it," he muttered to his father, who sat beside him at their designated table.

Bruce Wayne flashed his son a warning look and smoothed a hand over his mostly dark gray hair. "It's part of the job," he replied sternly. "It's what we have to do."

Alex looked around at the various people and spotted his mother, who was wearing a blonde wig and a lot of makeup, chatting to some CEO. She had a false smile plastered on her beautiful face, and her fists were closing and opening. "Looks like Mom hates it as much as we do," he remarked.

"It was never Diana's style," Bruce replied as he took a sip of wine. "But it was her decision. She knew the consequences."

Alex glanced over at his twin brother and sister who were talking to other people their age. His keen gray eyes locked onto his sister's, and Helena rolled her eyes and shook her head. Alex hid a smile, knowing that it was hard for Helena to play the preppy dumb blonde. She had had to play it ever since high school and still through her first year of college. Alex remembered his time in high school and his freshman year. It had been difficult being the geeky looking odd rich kid, and the unwanted glasses and dark wig became irritating, but it was the price he had to pay for being the son of Batman. Alex unconsciously ran a hand through his brown wig that hid his darker blonde hair and adjusted his glasses.

"It's been over five years and you still aren't used to it?" Bruce spoke, drawing him out of his thoughts.

Alex shrugged. "What can I say, I'm not one for glasses. Don't know how Kent puts up with it."

"He's had to."

"Yeah, I know."

Bruce studied him for a moment. "You could always just wear a mask like your brother."

"Don't like masks either."

A hint of amusement crept into Bruce's eyes. "That's your problem, then," he said, half-joking.

Terry Wayne came over and plopped down into a seat across from his father's. Like his father, he had the luxury of looking like himself, since he wore a similar Batman costume. He rubbed his blue eyes and said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Does anyone hate parties as much as me?"

"Join the club," Alex returned.

Terry's eyes flashed. "I didn't know there was one. How much to sign up?"

"How much you got?"

Terry glanced at his father. "How much you willing to lend me?"

"Nothing," Bruce said, taking another sip of wine.

"Well, I got nothing," Terry shrugged in a defeated manner. "Sorry."

Alex didn't smile, but Terry knew his brother well enough to know when he was in a mischievous mode. "Guess this club will only be for spoiled rich kids."

Terry grinned and said, "I don't think I'll fit in, seeing as how I'm not spoiled or rich."

"That remains to be seen," Bruce said dryly.

When Helena came over, a furious look on her face, Alex instantly said, "What happened?"

"You don't wanna know," Helena glowered in a dangerous tone.

"Sure we do," Terry said. Helena shot him a deadly Batman-type glare, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I guess I don't wanna know, then."

Alex looked over at his mother, who was now making her way over towards their table. But she was not alone. Alex's eyes narrowed as he noticed Jonas Estarci put a hand on her arm and smile charmingly. "Dad, heads up," he said in a low voice.

Bruce turned his head to see what Alex was talking about, and his jaw tightened as he saw his wife being practically manhandled on her way to join her family. His eyes darkened; and Alex knew he was going into Batman mode.

"Wait," he said quietly.

Bruce watched the scene between his wife and Estarci with quiet rage, but he didn't get up.

"She can take care of herself," Helena added softly. And she was correct. Diana, with flashing eyes, jerked her arm away from Estarci's grasp, snapped a few sharp but quiet words and walked to the Wayne table, where she sat down beside her husband and placed her hand on his.

"You all right?" Bruce asked.

"Oh, yes," Diana said in a falsely happy manner.

Alex studied her for a moment and exchanged glances with his siblings. "What'd you say to him?"

"Only that if he didn't remove his hand from my arm that I would sue him for sexual harassment," Diana said simply.

All three Wayne siblings grinned. "Way to go, Mom," Terry nodded, "I think you're the first woman to have said that to the infamous Jonas Estarci."

When Bruce's cell phone rang, Bruce looked at the number and then to his family. "It's business," he explained in a tone that meant either Batman or Justice League business. "Wayne," he said into the cell phone. After a few seconds, he shut it off and put in his pocket. "Time for us to leave."

The entire family rose from their seats and left the table. No one even paid attention when they entered the elevator and exited the room. Most were too busy talking, drinking, or dancing. Most of them really didn't care, either.

"What's the deal?" Alex questioned once they were in the car.

"Kent needs backup for a situation in Las Vegas. We leave immediately."

"It sounds serious," Diana remarked, pulling off the blonde wig as the windows became tinted from the outside, allowing the passengers inside the car to see out, but no one to see in.

Helena frowned. "Are we all going?"

"All of us." Bruce's tone brooked no argument.

The rest of the ride home to Wayne Manor was spent in silence.

* * *

**WAYNE MANOR**

* * *

Alex shrugged on his sleek black and navy outfit he used as AcroBat. He didn't have super-strength or super powers, but like Nightwing and Robin he had excellent acrobatic skills - hence the name AcroBat. And he hadn't felt like naming himself after a bird, no matter how much he respected Dick and Tim. He had to admit, AcroBat wasn't the most original of names, but it did cover the fact that he was part of the Bat family and a skilled acrobat at the same time. His outfit was fairly simple: a jumpsuit equipped with a utility belt and black boots. He didn't like to use too many gadgets except when necessary; he preferred hand-to-hand combat. To put it simply, he liked beating up the bad guys with his fists instead of using some sort of power or gadget.

There was a knock on his door, and opened it. "I'm coming."

Helena stood before him as Nightmaiden, her alias, and nodded. She took the more unconventional approach by not wearing a jumpsuit of some kind: she wore all black: a tank top, a jacket over that, gloves, leather pants with a utility belt, and black boots. Like Alex, she wore no mask; and her hair was its normal color – raven locks that fell about four inches past her shoulders. She stepped back from the doorway to let Alex pass through, and together they entered the Batcave, where Batman, Wonder Woman, and Terry, dressed in his full black bat suit as Shadow Knight, were already waiting.

"Let's move," Batman said tersely, and hopped into the Batwing. The others followed, and the Batwing soared out of the Batcave and into the night sky.

* * *

**Well, that's the revised version. I took out the three other Wayne kids and tried to make it less cliche. **

**-Serena Kenobi **


	3. Disquiet

His Father

By Serena Kenobi

Author's note: To celebrate my becoming a featured member on Fanlib (dot) com, I decided to update. Thanks for the reviews. to S.P. Bley: I'm sorry, but I don't PM people online. If you'd like to reply to the reply I sent you, then why don't you send it to me via another review? That'd make things easier.

Just so everyone's not confused: Alex is the Joker's son. Terry and Helena are the biological twins of Diana and Bruce. Just to clear things up.

* * *

Gotham was almost on the other side of the country compared to Las Vegas, but they got to the Nevada city within minutes, thanks to new technology in the Batwing. 

Helena glanced down upon the city and questioned: "Doesn't seem like there's any problem to me."

"Brilliant theory," Alex said dryly. "Superman would bring us out here for nothing."

"Speak of the man in blue, there he is," Terry said, nodding to where Superman was standing alongside two other younger people in a parking lot that bordered the Las Vegas Archives.

Batman piloted the Batwing down to the ground, and everyone got out.

"Where's the fire?" Diana asked, floating towards Superman. She nodded to the other two standing next to the Man of Steel. "Jason, Kara. Nice to see you again."

Helena looked over at Jason, who looked like a carbon copy of his father, but had some elements of his mother, Lois Lane, and folded her arms across her chest. Jason was a few years older than she, but age had never really mattered. Jason shot her a sideways glance, and she held it evenly. He smirked.

Kara, a beautiful young woman a few months younger than Terry and Helena, glanced at Terry, who was purposefully looking the other way, and then to Helena, who was still glaring at her brother. "Hey, what's up?" She asked Helena, shooting her a smile.

Helena gave her a half-smile back. "Nothing new." She studied the daughter of Kal-El, who had gotten her mother's features but her father's dark hair and deep blue eyes and his steadfast personality. " So what's the situation?"

"Someone's stolen from the Las Vegas Archives. The curator's missing, too. Probably connected," Kara said, turning into her Supergirl all-action mode.

Helena suspected that Kara's tendency to get right down to business was one of the foremost reasons why she liked her. And she liked so few girls her age. She was thankful that Kara wasn't a preppy, bubbly laugh fest like some of the other Justice kids. Flash's twin daughters were an example of that. And she had admiration for Kara, seeing as how the eldest daughter of Superman had to play dumb blonde as well. Sufficed to say, Kara Kent, aka Supergirl, was the closest thing Helena Wayne, aka Nightmaiden, had to a "girlfriend." They shared a mutual respect, just like their brothers and fathers shared with each other.

"Why'd you call for _all _of us?" Shadow Knight questioned, speaking to Kara for the first time. Kara smiled at him, and he looked away.

"This isn't what it seems," Jason Kent aka Superboy commented, coming up to them. "The curator may be involved, but we're thinking something else's up. This may be the work of a criminal mastermind, probably one we've seen before."

"So?" Helena said.

"So," Alex spoke up, "The criminal mastermind has traces that lead back to the Intergang."

"Intergang's everywhere," Helena said, growing irritated at the lack of information.

"This section of Intergang is from Gotham City," Jason said.

Helena raised her eyebrows. "Oh. That explains it. But Dad and Mom can handle Intergang – heck, I'm sure even just _you_, the Superboy, can handle it," she said, shooting Jason a wry grin.

Jason gave her a look, and she smirked.

"Enough with the flirting, you two," Terry said, his voice the harsher, gruff tone that he took as Shadow Knight. "We have work to do." He turned away and went over to where the adults were discussing the next course of action. Kara kept her eyes on him as he strode away from their group, her expression thoughtful and a little sad. Helena glared at her brother's retreating back.

"Idiot," she muttered.

"All right, listen up, everyone," Batman said as the rest of the younger adults came up to the older superheroes. "So far all we know is that the only article stolen from the Archives is the Forgotten Treasure Chest of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut. There could be more. The curator's name was David Shay, and he's worked here for about a year. According to the eyewitness, who has just been put under protective custody, Shay disappeared about half an hour ago, right before the robbery, and hasn't been seen since. His car is still here."

"Can anyone say 'connected'?" Terry remarked dryly.

Batman glared at him. "We'll sweep the entire museum. Superman has already x-rayed the place, but there are many lead containers. We'll do it by hand."

"Gotta love hands-on detective stuff," Kara said as they entered the darkened museum.

"We should split into teams," Wonder Woman said. "It'll be easier if we split up."

"Cover more ground," Batman added.

Wonder Woman smiled. "Exactly."

"Right. Princess, Superman – you're with me," Batman said, instantly taking charge. "We'll cover the south and west wings of the museum. Shadow Knight, Supergirl: you're together. You cover the east wing. Superboy, Nightmaiden, Acrobat: you'll cover the north. Move out." He slipped into the shadows, Superman and Diana following.

"Some things never change," Acrobat remarked, shaking his head.

Nightmaiden looked over at her brother, who seemed uncomfortable with being alone with Kara and was once again looking in the opposite direction of Supergirl, his mouth formed into a tight line. Her eyes narrowed, and after murmuring to Jason to go ahead without her, she walked up to him and hissed in his ear: "Be nice or I'll kill you." She then turned on her heel and followed her elder brother and Jason through one of the other shadowed halls. It was time for Terry to stop being an idiot and act like a gentleman in front of Kara, who had been having an obvious crush on Terry for the past few years.

Terry's covered eyes had widened slightly when his sister had threatened him, and as the last of other teams disappeared, he glanced over at Kara, who had been staring at him. But this time, the roles were reversed, and she flushed and looked the other way when he turned to her. Clearing his throat, he looked at the hallway they were supposed to take. "We should go."

Kara nodded, and it seemed then as if something inside her had clicked; she lifted her head higher and straightened. "Right. Let's go." She was the all-confident Supergirl once more.

Terry flicked on his flashlight, and they went down the darkened hallway silently.

* * *

"I can't _believe _you said that!" 

"What was I supposed to say? The girl was annoying me," Nightmaiden said, irritated. The trio was currently in the large room where the chest had been stolen.

Superboy shook his head at her story and carefully inspected the mummy sarcophagus in front of him. "Yeah, but threatening to punch her into the next dimension probably wasn't the best course of action."

Nightmaiden threw him a deadly glare, but he just rolled his eyes.

During their little discussion, Acrobat had quietly been searching on the opposite side of the room. He eventually came to a closed door that had the sign 'janitor' on it, and he opened the door and stepped inside, flashing his light into the small room. It looked nothing different from a regular janitor's closet – wait. Alex frowned and flashed his light on a couple of large boxes lying on the floor in front of the right wall. Then, he crouched downwards and pushed the boxes aside. His eyes narrowed, and he shined his light past the boxes, through an open man-sized hole in the wall, and all the way through the brick of the building and outside into a dark alley.

_The thief's escape route, _he mused. Rising to his feet, he ducked down low and exited the building through the hole, then stepped out into the alley. He looked both ways, but the alley was silent. He stepped back, intending to turn around and go back through the hole, but halted when he felt himself stepping on something. Glancing down at his feet, he frowned and picked up a green-colored canister that said "Laughing Gas" across its side.

Alex's eyes widened. This kind of device, painted _bright green, _could be of use to one man.

The Joker.

* * *

Grrr... I wish I could make this bold font, but stupid Fanfiction won't let me. Ah, the joys of the internet... 

Let me know what you think!


	4. Questions

**His Father**

**By Serena Kenobi**

A/N: Thanks for the reviews.

Disclaimer: Care to share... uh... whoever owns Batman and the JLU???

* * *

Alex stared down at the canister, silent as he and his companions made their way back to the others. In one of the new exhibits, they found Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman still investigating. Batman, who had been inspecting a large diamond, rose to his full height and waited as his son came up to him and placed the canister in his gloved hands.

"This is the only evidence we found," explained Alex. "You guys find anything?"

"No. The place is clean," Batman said, his eyes trained on the canister. He turned it over a few times, his visage seemingly more grim than usual.

Alex didn't miss any of that and said in a low voice, "I think it might be Joker's."

"Impossible. Joker hasn't been around for almost ten years."

"But you never found out if he died. He might've escaped the plane before it blew. He's resourceful."

"Then why didn't he show up earlier? It doesn't add up," Batman said, glaring down at the canister. "It's probably just a copycat."

Diana came up behind him and peered over his shoulder. Her deep blue eyes widened, and she glanced at Batman. "Laughing gas?"

"Looks that way," Alex said, unsure of why his father was so certain that Joker was dead. "Did you see the plane go down that day the Joker died?"

Diana looked uncomfortable. "I think so. It was such a long time ago… it's hard to remember."

"Everything was confusing that day," Superman added.

The entrance of Shadow Knight and Supergirl caused Alex to turn his attentions away from the canister.

"We got nothing," Terry said brusquely. "Whoever did this left no traces." His full-face mask tilted and he said, eyes on the canister, "What's that?"

"Souvenir," Superboy remarked. "We think it's a Joker copycat. Maybe the Intergang is posing as Joker to try and fool us. Set us off our path."

"It's a strong possibility," Batman said. "But there's nothing else here. We should go."

Helena glared at Superman. "All this way out here just for a canister of gas? And why did you need _all_of us? Little inconveniencing, I think."

"We didn't know the extent of the robbery, and in case the thieves returned with something more sinister, we decided to bring extra backup," Jason explained.

"So what now?" Terry inquired, impatient. "We go after Intergang or Shay? How 'bout both?"

"Terry's got a point," Helena said.

Superman nodded. "Good idea. AcroBat, Nightmaiden, and Superboy – you'll take the Shay lead. There's still a good chance he's involved. Meanwhile, the rest of us will go after Intergang."

"We'll get right on it," Jason said, rising into the air. "I can find out where he lives, and we'll take it from there."

"Agreed," Helena conceded, floating up beside him.

"Uh, guys?" Alex looked at them pointedly. Helena swooped down and picked him up under his armpits, then flew off, Jason beside her.

Superman glanced at Terry and Kara. "You two can go back home or to the Watchtower. I don't think we'll need you."

"But Dad," Kara began to protest, but closed her mouth after a look from Superman. "Yes, Dad." She soared into the air and sadly flew off. Shadow Knight threw his father and Superman a dirty look and soared after her.

Batman stared after his son. "I know how she feels about him," he said.

Superman raised an eyebrow. "And I know how he feels about her. Is that why you set them up?"

"I didn't set anyone up," Bruce denied. Wonder Woman grinned.

"Neither did I," Superman returned, smiling.

Batman glowered. "Point taken."

* * *

In the large lounge, well, one of them, in the Watchtower, Kara was pacing in front of one of the windows. "I can't believe we got left behind _again,_" she groused. "It's just not fair!"

"Your father's got a reason for his actions," Terry answered sharply, tapping away on his computer.

Kara glared at him. "Aren't you mad, too?"

"Yeah."

Kara looked at him for a moment and bit her lip. "Is something wrong?"

"What? No."

"You've been avoiding me like the plague, Terry. Did I do something to offend you?"

Terry's lenses widened. "No!" He scowled. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then what is it?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Kara's eyes narrowed. "Fine." She paced back and forth for another moment, then said, "What are you looking up?"

"A crime lord in Gotham. Jonas Estarci. He might be involved. Dad suspected he had distant ties to Intergang, but nothing was ever proved."

Kara sped behind him. "Hey, maybe I could," she suggested. "I _am_the computer genius, you know."

"Be my guest." But when he didn't move from his seat, she cleared her throat.

"Well?"

"Get your own computer."

Kara snorted. "Idiot." She stalked off to find someone easier to talk to.

Terry watched her go, his eyes never leaving her form until she disappeared.

Kara walked down the hallway to her quarters and halted when she heard a friend calling.

"Kara!"

She turned to see Shayna Queen, otherwise known as Black Arrow, coming towards her in full uniform, and smiled. "Hey, Shay!" She suddenly grinned. "Hey, that's weird."

"What is?" Shayna tilted her blonde head to one side, her blue eyes looking at her friend inquisitively.

"We were just investigating a museum robbery, and the missing curator's name was Shay."

"You don't say. Why are you here and not down there, then?"

Kara frowned. "Dad made us come back. He said he didn't need us."

Shayna nodded, then blinked. "Wait, _us?_"

"Shadow Knight and I."

"Ooh, do tell! How is the Batman clone?"

Kara sighed and said, "He's been avoiding me, and I don't know why. We used to be best friends, but lately he's turned into Batman – the really Batman-ish Batman."

Shayna frowned and put an arm around Kara. "Well, you've come to the right girl, Kara. Let's find Lady Q, Miss Martian, and Emerald Angel, and we'll have a cup of hot chocolate and have a girl chat."

* * *

**There's that chapter. Let me know what you think!**

**- Serena Kenobi **


	5. Connections

**His Father**

**By Serena Kenobi**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I think one's enough, don't you? **

* * *

Jason, Helena, and Alex landed in front of a swanky manor enclosed inside a large iron fence. The whole house had an aura of dignified distaste, and it reeked of unfriendliness. 

"Geez, and I thought that our house was intimidating," Alex remarked as they walked up to the brass-trimmed two –door entrance. After an awkward pause, he said, "Well, should we knock?"

Helena marched up to the door and banged on it, hard, and both guys cringed when the doors shook violently from her vicious blows. "Shay? Open up! This is the Justice League!"

"Technically we're the New Union of Superheroes, but who am I to correct you?" Jason muttered. The younger members, mostly superheroes in their teens, had created, a few months back, a new Justice League of their own, somewhat like a new Teen Titans. It consisted of the children of Justice Leaguers, and so far, there were several members, with a few more in pending mode.

Alex watched as his sister continued pounding on the door for a few moments and finally said, "Give it up, sis. The man's not here."

"But what do we do? We can't just break in – that's against the law." Superboy's eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully.

Helena glared at the door. "Never stopped Batman before," she said, and floated up to the second level where there was a balcony. "I'm going in this way."

Alex shook his head and muttered, "And I thought Terry was like Dad."

"Oh, that's not Batman talking," Jason said, grabbing him and bringing him up to the second level balcony, "That's Wonder Woman."

* * *

"I don't care if Terry acts like a jerk," Kara said to her closest friends in the League. "I'm going to find out more about this case." She zipped over and began typing away on her laptop. Super-typing, that is.

Lady Question, aka Mariana Stone, a beautiful young lady with dark eyes and dark red hair, inherited from her parents, Huntress and Question, lifted a cup of soda. "You tell 'im, CG." CG stood for Computer Genius, and everyone who knew Kara well called her by that nickname.

"Yeah, don't be intimidated, even by the Batclan," Raquel Stewart, sister of Rex Stewart and daughter of Green Lantern and Hawkgirl said, stretching her wings.

Kara looked up from her typing. "I think this case might be bigger than everyone thinks," she said gravely.

"Why?" Miss Martian asked, her bright red hair falling in front of her green face.

Kara turned the laptop to face the others. "This isn't an earth symbol. Or any kind of symbol from any alien nation." She pointed to a strange picture on the screen. "Ladies, this particular symbol denotes only one man in the universe. Well, he's not actually a_man_."

"Who?" Shayna questioned eagerly.

Kara bit her lip. "This symbol is only used by the Greek God of War: Ares."

The others stared at her.

"But… why?" Shayna asked.

"And how are they connected?" Raquel asked.

Kara super-typed for a few seconds more. "I'm not exactly sure yet," she said, "But Intergang looks connected. And this Daniel Shay…" she typed as she spoke. Then, she frowned. "Huh."

"What?" The girls asked. All except Lady Question.

"She's going to say that Daniel Shay didn't exist until ten years ago," Lady Q said in a bored voice. Kara glared at her. Lady Q shrugged. "Hey, they don't call me Lady Question for nothing."

Kara stared hard at the screen. "Something's up. They're all connected. Ares. Shay. The robbery." She tapped the keyboard. "I have to figure this out before something bad happens."

"Need help?" Shayna asked.

"I might. This might be bigger than us."

* * *

After searching for hours through Shay's house, AcroBat, Nightmaiden, and Superboy had come up with nothing.

"The guy's a ghost," Alex remarked, leaning against the back of a couch. "He's got zip."

Helena floated into the room. "No car. No tickets. He covers his tracks well." She scowled. "Maybe we should see if he's got any ties to Intergang."

"How so?" Alex asked.

"We go to Intergang."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Really. Where would that be?"

"Jonas Estarci," she said. "I've had Kara do some research on him. The guy's got definite connections to Intergang. I say we pay him a visit."

Alex nodded slowly. "You do that." He began to walk out the door.

"Where are _you _going?" Helena said, confused.

Her brother turned in the doorway. "I'm going to follow up on another lead. You two go after Estarci." With that, he slipped out the door and into the night. Helena frowned and glanced at Superboy as he came in.

"I heard he left," Jason said.

"Yeah."

He gave her a look. "You know what he's doing, don't you?"

She nodded. "He still thinks it's Joker."

"What do you think?"

She looked at him, then to the empty doorway. "I think my brother has an excellent intuition and is one of the smartest men I know. If he thinks it's the Joker, then I won't be one to disagree. Now c'mon, flyboy. We have a crimelord to catch." She raced out of the house and soared into the air.

* * *

Alex stared at the computer screen in the Batcave. According to the computer, the Joker had indeed been killed over ten years ago. But was there a possibility that he was still alive, somehow?

"Supergirl to AcroBat," Kara's voice came in through the comlink.

"AcroBat here. What do you have for me, CG?"

"Listen, I found some info on Shay."

"Hit me." He leaned forward eagerly.

"According to my findings, Shay didn't turn up or even appear to exist until around ten years ago."

Alex's eyes narrowed. But he couldn't jump to conclusions. "You sure?"

"They don't call me CG for nothing."

Alex glared at the screen. "Did it say where he first turned up?"

"Hang on." After a second, she said, "Yeah. Gotham City."

He growled. "Figures."

"Alex, what's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

"Not now. I'll tell you later. Anything else I need to know?"

"Yeah. Shay is in some way connected with the Greek God of War, Ares."

Alex blinked. "Come again?"

* * *

Helena and Jason soared up to Estarci's Gotham penthouse and peeked inside. Estarci lay sleeping in an elegant but somewhat flamboyant bedroom. He was snoring. Helena glared at him and entered through the window. She went up to him, put a hand over his mouth, and then with other hand knocked his head against the headboard. He tried to cry out, but he couldn't. His eyes widened in fear and horror as he saw the Nightmaiden glaring down at him. "Wh-what do you want?"

"Answers," she growled in the same tone as Batman. "Who is Daniel Shay?"

He didn't speak.

"You'd better answer," Superboy said coolly. "It's only a matter of seconds before she hits you. Hard."

"I don't know what you're talking ab–" He whimpered as she slammed his head into the headboard again.

"Wrong answer," she hissed angrily. "Tell me what I want to know and this won't have to get messy."

"You Bat people are all the same," Estarci spat, "You're all insane whackjobs!"

She grinned. "And this insane whackjob won't be leaving until you tell me everything you know about Daniel Shay. _NOW_."

Estarci gulped. This hadn't been in his plans. "I want a lawyer."

She laughed harshly. "And I want to own my own spaceship. Disappointment abounds. Now tell me what you know about Shay before I rip your head off."

He gulped and pointed over to his desk and computer. "Ch-check in my files," he stammered, "They have all the in-information I have on every colleague."

She threw him back into the headboard and went over to the desk and turned on the computer. "Check the file cabinet," she barked to Superboy. He rolled his eyes and zipped over to the file cabinet and began sifting through the different files. "Hey, Nightmaiden," he said, "I found something."

She tapped on the computer for a moment. "His files are gone." Her voice had acquired a deadly tone.

Jason looked over to Estarci's bed. "Apparently, so is he."

Helena whirled around, but Jason was right. The crimelord had disappeared. "He's gone to get help. We better jet." She soared into the air. "We'll talk to Supergirl. She must have some dirt on Shay by now. But what did you find?"

"Not much," Jason admitted. "All it says was that he met Daniel Shay in Gotham around seven years ago. Also says that Shay's a private man and doesn't like to talk to people except for his... psychiatrist."

Helena whooshed out of the window and looked at him, dubious. "Psychiatrist?"

"That's what it says."

"Give a name?"

"No," Jason sighed. "Why does this always have a dead end?"

Helena's eyes softened. "Hey, look, Superboy, sometimes things happen. But we just have to keep moving forward. It's what we do."

Jason smiled. "You're just like your mother."

"I've gotten more 'You're just like your father's,'" she smirked. "But let's go to the Watchtower. Kara can help."

Without warning, a bright fiery light flashed in front of them, and Jason and Helena found themselves being flung across the sky, hit by an incredibly powerful force. Helena fell backwards, finally crashing into a tree of a forest just outside of Gotham City. She groaned, stood up, and looked around. "Superboy?" She called out. "Where are you?" To her horror, the light returned, and in a burst of flame, a figure appeared in front of her.

"Greetings, Nightmaiden," a handsome young man, decked in shining amour, with a deceptively charming smile said, drawing forward. "I have been waiting for you."

"What?" Helena stared at him. "Who are you? What do you want?"

He smiled, but it was a half-evil smile. "You, Nightmaiden. I want_you_. I am Ares, the God of War… and your future husband."

Helena's jaw dropped open.

* * *

**Well, well, well! This is interesting! Ares will be a main character in this story, just to let you know. Greek mythology is fun to write, especially with the JLU.**

**If you feel like leaving a review, do so! I'd appreciate it lots. **

**- Serena **


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